In this chapter, I examine more closely the Islamic esoteric sciences in West Africa (Brenner 1985a). The diversity of knowledge and practices that can be grouped under the heading of Islamic esoteric sciences include, among other things, special prayers such as petitionary prayers and blessings (Ar., du’a), instruction or guidance in alms-giving (Ar. sadaqa), geomancy (Ar., raml), mystical retreat (Ar., khalwa), decision-making via divine inspiration (Ar., istikhara), the confection of written texts or gris-gris in the colonial lexicon (to wear or to keep as amulets, to ingest or with which to wash after effacing with water), astrology (Ar., ‘ilm al-najum) and medicine (Ar., tibb). Most of these sciences make use of Arabic literacy, including the text of the Quran. And some involve elaborate ideas about and techniques for dealing with spiritual entities, such as jinn, known for their interventions in the world. Long central to regionally salient conceptions of Islam, such practices are thought to be perfectly licit and can be justified through reference to the standard Maliki texts of Islamic jurisprudence (Ar., fiqh) used here. These esoteric sciences have played and continue to play an enormous role on the social landscape through the practitioners who employ them and their clients who solicit their use. For many in this region, they are a key element in what is thought to constitute Islamic orthodoxy. From the perspective of some people, including so-called ‘reformists’ (see Chapter 7), most, if not all, of the esoteric sciences considered here are not only un-Islamic, but expressly forbidden according to the precepts of Islam. Be that as it may, the disparate practices I call the Islamic esoteric sciences are among the most important components of authority for at least some, if not most, religious leaders in Nioro, not to mention elsewhere in West Africa. They are also one of the key elements in what I call the prayer economy in this Malian town (see Chapter 6).

It is important to note at the outset that the term ‘esoteric sciences’ is a convenient way to discuss the various practices enumerated above, as there appears to be no universally accepted local or regional term that covers all of the kinds of knowledge and practices that can be included under this rubric. The term esoteric sciences is, nevertheless, preferable to some of the other options that are based on analytical presuppositions, which are problematical.